Scanner Face

Scanner Face

The Smallest Points You've Ever Seen

An important thing to remember is that
we're animals. When you look at the
animal kingdom, you are looking at us.
When you watch a documentary about
animals you are watching a documentary
about us.
It's nothing to feel bad about
but I don't. On the other hand, I feel awful.
In this regard I'm a sort of flamingo
and my pink qualities start to feather.

Ball of Light

It was beautiful. We smiled. It got bigger! Soon it overtook us, in the best possible sense.

This Baby Girl

She was like, "This is some serious shit."

And it was some serious shit.

She was like, "Yes, I'm thinking about this."

I was like, "As you should. You should think about this."

She was like, "Yes, you too."

I was like, "Yes, that's right."

She was like, "Good."

I said, "I agree."

I was like, "And now you're long gone."

And she was like, "Yes, always leaving."

I was like, "It's hard."

She said, "Yes, and, like, pretty."

And I said, "Yes."

And she said it again too.

Offering You Something Provocative!

You will notice that I am holding a dish of green bean casserole. I am also wearing green. You should be informed that this was Easter Sunday at my in-laws and that this green bean casserole was made by my lovely wife. You should notice that I have a beard in this picture. This is, in general, unusual. But here's this very short interview for Amy Guth and the Pilcrow Lit Fest. And here are these super cool photos of Amy's asshole. Now that's provocative!

Trying to Situate the Situation of My Insides

How You Think about Things

During Easter, one may be reminded
of Easter, or holidays that are similar to Easter.
I always think of Easter.
For me, Easter is something I think about,
but it doesn't mean much.
I understand that there are colors
like baby blue, pink, yellow, light greens, and any
number of other pastel-ly colors. I also
understand the fake grass in the
bottom of Easter Baskets.
What alludes me at this instant is something different.
From what I can tell, I'm talking
about a situation in which a certain
television show might become distracting.

When Sarcastic and Serious Are the Same Thing

I'm having computer problems so this blog isn't functioning as it should. I wanted to put up at least half of Antonin Artaud's "All Writing Is Pigshit," but my scanner isn't scanning and I can't figure it out. But you can figure it out, and you should.

Two Flyers for the Same Event!

Coming soon: Shanna Compton and Jennifer L. Knox. I'll mention this again. If you're in Muncie you should probably be, like, "Sweet, cool poetry is coming to join with the cool poetry that is already here! And I mean everyone!"

Images to Consider In Regard to Previous Post about The Cover of Hitler's Mustache

The Cover of the Book

Here and here people are discussing poetry book covers. I think the pink cover of my book is good. Of course, I drew and designed it. Of course, it's got the blank Hitler stare. It's got the bar code mustache. I wanted that mustache to be the actual bar code of the book, but for legal reasons it had to go on the back. Anyway. The bar code is from a Henri Michaux book. I just used the Michaux book because it fit. I had the image for this cover in my head the entire time I was writing the book. In fact, this image came up in the initial conversation about Hitler's mustache that eventually lead to me writing the book. The idea of the bar code was first mentioned by my friend, Darren. The overall design is from a Hitler poster. The image was there but when it was time to actually draw, I couldn't seem to get it right. I tried and failed enough times to try an alternate cover. But Tom Koontz, Barnwood publisher and all around trusty advisor, said, No, try again with the face. So I did though I was kinda mad about it at first because I felt so frustrated. I like that someone looking at the cover would eventually, inevitably utter the phrase "Hitler's mustache." I was thinking something pastel for the background to lighten up the image. My wife said "Pink" and when she did I felt like I really knew, yes, pink is the color. In a way, pink is always the color.

Dear Andrei Codrescu

Are you kidding me? You contribute to our anthology and then you write this at Exquisite Corpse? :

"Poets Bookshelf II, edited by Peter Davis and Peter Koontz, Seattle: Barnwood Press. This is a book about what poets influenced the poets in the book in case somebody wants to be a poet like one of the poets in the book and read all the books that influenced that poet – that’s known in the trade as a Circle Jerk. I’m in this book saying something to the effect that too many people influenced me to sort them out now, plus I’ve influenced a lot of the people that were in both. Vol I and II, but they are too pretentious to know it, so they pretend that they were influenced only by people like Guy Debord and Edmond Jabès, which sounds really impressive, esp. since I am reasonably sure that they haven’t read more than one page of these resonant names’ works. Most poets are not only liars, but have an inflatable organ that swells them to ten times their real size as soon as you ask them a question like, Who Influenced You?, which makes them the size of squirrel poop (inflated)."


My God! You're that one guy at the party who says, "Everybody here is so lame." You think other contributors have inflated egos and yet you're certain that you've influenced "a lot" of them who are too "pretentious" to "know" it? Yes, Andrei, they have inflated egos. You aren't anything like all those other poop-sized poets! Still, you sound a little bitter about not being mentioned more. But remember every vote for Guy Debord, Edmond Jabès, and any number of "resonant" names is really a vote for you. So really you were mentioned a ton! It's a shame that you are the only one who knows how many times you were mentioned via pseudonym. If you let me know, I'll be sure to make a note of it to correct for future editions.

Sincerly,
Peter Davis

P.S. the co-editor is Tom, not Peter, Koontz

Some Little Things that Bug A Person

There are people in this world.

Some of them are poets.

One of them sends a postcard in response to

receiving a free book that says,

"Thanks for the book. I'm teaching at a fancy

university this semester. Your book has

a mistake in it, stupid. I have a new book coming out.

It's 600 pages long. It will come out soon."

And that is that.

On the other hand, it's nice to get the shout out

from Luna Park!

Troubled Youth, 1993

Poetry Reading! Reminder!

I drew this once with a lighter. My friend caught it with his camera. This is the image of a man giving, or reaching for, a vase of flowers. The vase is like a top hat. I will not say that the reading at the MT Cup on Thursday, March 6th at 8:00pm (starring Daniel Bailey, Amanda Sabo, and Michael Meyerhofer) is the equivalent of a man giving or receiving flowers. But it is beautiful and demands a recipient. I hope it is you.

Questions to the Universe

This is Rich Cohen, author of "Becoming Adolf" in the November issue of Vanity Fair. I like his mustache because it's ridiculous. I have mentioned this before. He didn't keep that 'stach, which is probably a good decision. Rich, you should contact me for a free book. You're interested in this subject and yet you don't want to learn more about it via a FREE book? I can't understand this. We're probably close in age. We're both interested in a tyrant's upper lip scruff. We should be best friends! I'm sure you'd like my wife. My kids are adorable. Why you so coy, Rich? Why you so shy?

You Know What I Mean

What will I do? I don't know.
The question assumes some
bad stuff.
I want to say something
but I can't bring myself
to it.